1990LS400

Maybe weiners were used as the lower steering column shaft on U.K. models. The one on my U.S. spec car appears to be made from steel. Sorry, I couldn't resist a little kidding. I know this is a serious subject. I used a flashlight and I see on my car the part you are talking about. Did the shaft itself break or did the bolt that holds it to the U-joint under the dash come loose? I've certainly never heard of anything like this happening. Do you know if your steering column has ever been repaired? As you probably know, the tilt/telescope system sometimes goes bad and sometimes has to be disassembled to replace a variety of parts including the tilt and telescope motors. Could someone have made an improper repair? Or ... do you know anyone who might be trying to "do you in"? Are you getting along with the wife or girlfriend? Or ... wife AND girlfriend? Any gambling debts? You might want to check your brake lines to see if they have been tampered with! How expensive is it to fix this problem?

Mike lives in the U.K. From the https://techinfo.toyota.com website : "At this time we can only accept accounts from subscribers with US mailing and billing addresses"

The front brake pads on my 2000 LS400 were replaced for the first time in March 2006 at 71,293 miles a day or two after the brake message was displayed on the trip computer. Often sensors can be reused but in this case one sensor had to be replaced -- at a cost of $55.18 including labor. I got similar life from the front brake pads on my 1990 LS400 - replaced them only twice in the 183,500 miles I owned the car. Unless you are braking your car very hard, you should expect to get a similar mileage from your front brake pads if you wait for a sensor to trigger the brake message in the trip computer display. It is not unheard of for dealers and repair shops to want to prematurely do brake jobs to make a little more profit. You might want to look for a repair shop you can trust. The original pads on my 00 LS are still just fine at over 103,000 miles. I check the pad thickness each time I rotate the tires and my current estimate that they will last until about 125,000 miles.

I do not remember reports on Lexus forums about a part like this breaking. Precisely which part are you referring to? Are you talking about the "sliding yoke" in the engine compartment -- the u-joint one can see where the steering shaft exits the firewall into the engine compartment? Or are you talking about the breakaway parts under the dash in the passenger compartment -- the little clips and plates that hold the steering wheel shaft in place but break away in a crash?

I doubt if the problem is from the phone system. On the dealer installed Lexus phone system, I think a phone call is played only through the drivers side rear door speaker. Is just one speaker or are all the speakers on the right side cutting out? The right side speakers on my 00 LS (Nakamichi) were all cutting in and out earlier this year before they finally failed completely. The cause of the problem turned out to be the balance control on the head unit -- needed to be resoldered. I eliminated the amp from being the problem cause by removing my amp from under the passenger seat and plugging it into a friends nearly identical LS. I don't know about the 95 LS but it was not necessary to remove the passenger seat in order to remove the amp on my 00 LS.

Since I have one, I would first try using a lighted borescope to fish the pen out. I have the 36 inch VO-36 shown on this webpage: http://www.mdsincorporated.com/VO6.htm As a test, I just now pushed the borescope tube down the driver's side air vent and took a look -- no pot of gold was found. My borescope came with a variety of hooks and magnets that attach firmly to the tip of the flexible fiber optic tube without interfering with the view through the eyepiece. If your biro has enough metal content, a magnet might grab on to it. I originally bought my borescope after my wife dropped her favorite ring down a small floor vent. $270 was a small price to pay to stop her crying. Or, try an inexpensive collapsible magnet -- mine looks like a small six inch auto antenna with a magnet on the tip. It expands to about 36 inches. I don't think it is meant to be bent much but you might be able to force one down the duct work leading to the vent register. The borescope is more "fun" though -- I can see what I am doing when using it. If all else fails, you may be doing a bit of disassembly.

Hmmm ... I've never heard it suggested that there is a wiper snow setting on an LS - only on a GS. I've never seen information about a snow setting in any of my LS400 owners manuals I've had or kept over the years -- neither in manuals for U.S. or UK/Europe spec cars -- or in the repair manual sets for either my 00 LS400 or previous 90 LS400. dcfish, would you might demonstrating this feature on your LS and showing us before and after photos?

My understanding is that doing a proper restore of the main ECU requires the hand held scan tool (Lexus Diagnostic Test Kit, Part number 01001270) and the appropriate program card for a 98 ES300 (6.0a Diagnostic Software Card, Part number 01001895-005). I checked a few years ago and found that the total cost of these tools was over $1,000. I do not know if there are less expensive alternatives. Also, questions about the ES should be posted in the ES forum instead of the LS forum.

Just hold the unlock button on the key down when when you are within 25-30 feet of your car. I use this feature almost every day in the summer when approaching my car. This has actually become a common feature on even fairly inexpensive cars -- an almost bottom of the line Honda Accord I rented in Florida in summer 2007 had the same feature.

The first thing to check is the battery in the key. I've found that the key batteries for my 00 LS have a life of 3 - 4 years and even less if a key is not used. I see from previous posts that your GS is a 1998 and that you recently acquired it. It might help others help you if you include the model year in either the model field in your profile or in a signature.

The attached list of customizable features is labeled for a 99 RX but I think the 00 RX is the same. A scan tool and appropriate program card is required to customize the settings -- they don't come cheap. Lexus dealers and some indie repair shops have the tools needed to customize the settings. The labor time for customizing the settings is likely between 1/2 and 1 hour. The customization is done at no cost during the 1,000 mile maintenance after the initial new car purchase. FYI, I've had my 2000 LS400 for five years and have never had my windows and sunroof accidentally open due something in my pants pocket pressing against the unlock button on the key -- and my car is parked in a garage less than 20 feet from where I usually sit in my living room. I wonder if the unlock button on your key is defective. Do you have another key you could use to see if you get the same result? Are you suffering from TPS? ("tight pants syndrome", LOL). CBES.pdf

$1400 is right in the ball park for what is essentially the 90K service with timing belt and water pump replacements. I think I paid about $100 less in summer 2007 for a 90K service with timing belt/water pump replacement on my 00 LS400 at an indie shop but I didn't get a loaner car, or wait in a sumptuous coffee/pastry laden customer waiting room like the typical Lexus dealer has.

Yes, I used "FCSR (Factory Car Stereo Repair) out of FL" earlier this year to repair the radio head unit of the Nakamichi system in my 2000 LS400. The right channel was out and, if it was the standard Pioneer system, the problem would more likely have been in the amp. I determined the problem was not the amp by hooking my amp to a friends 99 LS that has the same Nak system. FCSR repaired my headunit very quickly -- "Bob" called me on the phone to provide a status of the repair. It was a wonderful customer experience and I would highly recommend FCSR. If you have any doubts about the cause of the problem, I would encourage you to send both your head unit and amp to FCSR so that they can verify that the entire system is working properly after it is repaired.

The 10% discount code for Sewell can be found on ClubLexus under Sponsors ... Resellers. The current discount code is “CL911M”

I have not found a website that describes exactly which fragment of data is represented by VIN position 4 - 8 but one of these websites should help: http://www.dmv.org/vehicle-history-reports.php http://www.decodethis.com/ The "T" in the second position of the VIN represents the manufacturer instead of the brand. T = Toyota The third position ("J") apparently represents the Lexus division. The main thing I remember from working with VINs at the insurance company from which I recently retired is that VINs sometimes do not contain enough information to charge an appropriate (i.e. high enough) rate. The VIN does not describe all the options a vehicle may have. I suspect that the people who came up with the idea of a 17 position VIN have been kicking themselves ever since for not making it longer to allow the inclusion of more information -- but it is way better than the 10 digit VIN that was in use when I got into the business.

Now let's be reasonable. As Steve pointed out, this is a used car. It is not part of the CPO program to remove every single blemish so that a car looks absolutely like new. The 2005 models went on sale in fall 2004 -- we are talking about what could be a four year old used car. I've seen CPO cars with all sorts of minor cosmetic blemishes - both exterior and interior. The non-CPO 2000 LS400 I bought from a non-Lexus dealer in 2003 when it was 39 months old had several paint flaws and a few interior blemishes but so did the several 2000 LS400 CPO cars I was looking at.

Excellent information, WillieWildcat! Sounds like you went above and beyond what most people do when installing a sat radio. I use the same Pro.Fit Legend bracket for my GPS -- the best bracket I've found. The built-in swivel on the bracket makes it easy to position the device perfectly.

People apparently get used to the poor visibility to the rear -- they must because they sure sell enough of these cars. I've noticed the same issue each time I've been provided with an RX330 loaner car while my LS was having some work done and I wasn't amused -- most of the loaners at the local dealer are RX's but last time I asked for and was given an ES loaner.

Perot? He's even further over the hill than McCain. Perot recently turned 78 and has been replaced by his son in running the Perot businesses. My favorite statistic about old H. Ross is that it was documented that he visited the Nixon white house more often than any other human being. Ol' Ross got his big start by getting the government contract to do all the processing for Medicare in the late 60's - it was a gold mine. Ross is just one more guy that made it big feeding at a government teet. Remember Perot's pick for his VP? James Stockdale got so confused during a vice presidential debate in 1992 that he started babbling incoherently -- it was so sad and pathetic to watch. Stockdale finally died a few years ago of Alzheimer's disease. Yeah, Ross is one sharp guy.

The instructions on this webpage are for a 95-97 LS but the procedure is the same on a 98-00 LS: http://carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalLexusLS400str1.htm Be gentle when removing the center air vents. They tend to fall apart and must be reassembled before reinstalled. Be careful that you don't lose any of the parts if it falls apart. The console wood is pretty thin - I prefer to use a taped putty knife to spread the force when prying the wood up. I always cover the console with a towel to rest the radio on so I won't damage the vinyl console upholstery. Once you have the radio/HVAC module resting on the console, it is easy to unplug all the connectors.

My wife and I are supporting Obama both with our votes and with multiple contributions to his campaign after finding through careful study that Obama's political views match our views more closely than do the views of any other candidate. It seems odd how I have gradually moved from supporting Republicans to supporting Democrats over my 37 years of voting. I think some of it has to do with my study of history -- I nearly became a history teacher. Maybe some of it is because my wife and I have traveled widely and have had many fascinating political discussions with the locals in many countries. Maybe it is because my wife and I enjoy knowing people of diverse backgrounds and cultures in the U.S. It seems odd how some of the most rabid Republicans I know are so fearful -- fearful of non-English speakers, !Removed!, people of different religions, people who have different ideas and values. Their idea of travel outside the US is to go to a resort inhabited by Americans or to go on a structured tour with other Americans. My idea of foreign travel is to "wing it" and spend as much time as possible meeting and talking with the locals. There was even something on the news this morning about this -- correlating that fearful people tend to be towards the political right and that fearless people tending to be towards the political left and that their might even be a genetic predisposition for this fearful/fearless spectrum. It is obvious to me that both political parties are aware of this -- Republicans tend to pander to "fear"; Democrats tend to pander to "hope". I like to think that the reason we are supporting Obama is that we are highly educated and informed. But maybe we are just genetically predisposed to vote for Obama! ;)

http://www.tirerack.com/ seems to recommend 225/55R16 instead of 215/60R16 which happens to keep your speedometer a little more accurate. 215/60R16 would probably be OK to -- the speedo wouldn't be that much further off. There would be nothing wrong with using the original 17" tire size either. I would stick with a 225 section size unless you are driving in deep snow most of the winter. You still have to stop on dry pavement and 225 puts a little more rubber on the road. These days, I doubt if you could find steel wheels for your car. You'll probably have to get alloys. Tire Rack has a number of wheel/tire packages for your car -- assuming they ship to Ontario. Or, better yet, find some used Lexus wheels. IMO, the most important thing is to buy true winter tires and not just "performance winter" tires. True winter tires have a mountain/snowflake logo on the side wall and provide much better traction than performance winter tires - I've tried both types. I use Bridgestone Blizzaks but there also true winter tires from Dunlop, Michelin, Nokian, etc. Also, don't your current wheels have pressure sensors? If you want that feature during the winter you will either have to buy a second expensive set of pressure sensors or use your current onces with your snow tires and wheels.

I guess I am in the camp that agrees with the Lexus recommendation that brake rotors be resurfaced each time brake pads are changed. I've done it both ways and have gotten better results by resurfacing the rotors. Fortunately, the front pads on the LS have a very long life so you don't have to mess with them very often. I had the original front pads on my 00 LS replaced at just over 71,000 miles and the original rear pads are still just fine at over 103,000 miles. I got similar pad life on my previous LS. Places to buy rotors? Here are two: http://www.irontoad.com/ http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/ For Sewell, the current ClubLexus 10% discount code is “CL911M”.

The wireless door lock function can be turned on or off by a repair shop that has a scan tool and the appropriate program card -- see the attachment which explains the customizable settings for your car. In case your keys need to be reprogramed -- doubtful since they apparently can be used to operate your car -- also attached are the key programming instructions, supplied by Blake918 who recently acquired a 99 LS. CBES.pdf 1998_LS400_key_programming.pdf

Is your Lexus 'Pre-Bluetooth' ? IOW, what's wrong w/ the car's own bt setup. We find that works decent enough. Let's see ... your avatar shows '2003' model so I don't know. Our '04 Toyota has it so maybe i'm being presumptuous. 2004 was the first model year that Toyota/Lexus put Bluetooth in any of their U.S. spec vehicles -- and then only the cars with Nav unless Bluetooth was available in the non-nav versions of the Prius with the information screen. Prior to 2004, most Lexus models were pre-wired at the factory for the dealer installed Lexus phones.